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Directions

Using a stand mixer or a bowl and a spatula, mix together the cream cheese, blue cheese, shallots, salt, and hot sauce. Form the mixture into a ball and cover with plastic wrap; refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.

Before serving, remove a 2-inch piece of the cheese mixture, roll into a ball, and set aside; this will be the penguin's head. Re-form the remaining cheese mixture into an egg shape. Cut out a triangle shape roughly the length of your cheese ball from a sheet of wax paper. Press the wax paper into the cheese ball, with the widest part of the paper on the widest part of the cheese ball. Roll the cheese ball in the poppy seeds and set the ball on a plate. Slowly remove the wax paper; the ball should be covered in poppy seeds except for the penguin's breast. Set the head on top of the penguin's body and add the raisins for the eyes and the almond for the beak. Slice off 2 equal-sized rounds of the carrot and arrange them on either side of the head as earmuffs. Connect the earmuffs with the green part of the scallion. Using a vegetable peeler, peel 1 long strip off the carrot; wind this around the penguin's neck as a scarf. Slice the remaining carrot into toes and arrange at the bottom of the penguin's body to make its feet, or use two red bell pepper slices.